American Farmland Trust, The Culinary Institute of America, Fabulous Beekman Boys Hold Special Event To Raise Awareness In Culinary Students About Issues Facing Farmers

HYDE PARK, N.Y., March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fabulous Beekman Boys Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell of Beekman 1802 Monday joined American Farmland Trust and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to host a screening of The First Season, a powerful documentary about dairy farming in New York, to raise awareness in CIA students about the issues faced by farmers.

The First Season directed by Rudd Simmons, producer of compelling Hollywood films such as The Road, Dead Man Walking and The Royal Tenenbaums, dramatically tells the story of dairy farmers Paul and Phyllis VanAmburgh, an upstate New York couple, as they struggle to learn how to milk cows while caring for their young children, coming together in the evenings to face down monumental financial stress at a kitchen table piled with overdue bills.

"Culinary arts students use fresh, healthy farm products every day and influence the minds and stomachs of New Yorkers," said David Haight New York State Director for AFT.  "Today's event was designed to raise student awareness of the issues dairy farmers face in bringing their products to market and the fact that the farmland dairy farmers need to survive is being paved over at an alarming rate."

The screening of The First Season was followed by a discussion between attendees and panelists about the future of dairy farming in New York and the role of farmland conservation in protecting the agricultural land base critical to the success of the dairy industry.

The discussion was moderated by American Farmland Trust's David Haight and panelists included: Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Beekman 1802; Sam Simon, Hudson Valley Fresh; Paul and Phyllis Van Amburgh, Dharma Lea Farm; and Stuart Ziehm, Tiashoke Farm.

"Josh and I have great respect for our neighbors Paul and Phyllis VanAmburgh of Dharma Lea Farm as well as all the hardworking dairy farmers in our community," said Brent Ridge of Beekman 1802. "The wide open pastureland in Sharon and our neighboring towns of Seward and Carlisle have historically been a dairy and cheese-making stronghold and combined represent the largest solid block of agricultural land in our region. It is critically important to the local food supply that we support our dairy farmers and keep this irreplaceable farmland in agricultural production."

American Farmland Trust has several initiatives in New York to strengthen the economic viability of farming, including: Farm To Institution New York State (FINYS), a partnership of agricultural, economic development and public health interests aimed at increasing the volume of local food served at institutions in New York and the Hudson Valley Farmlink Network, a partnership of agricultural and land conservation organizations aimed at facilitating farm transfers and improving access to land for the next generation of farmers in the Hudson Valley.

The American Farmland Trust is the nation's leading conservation organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land.

For information on American Farmland Trust's work in New York visit: www.farmland.org/newyork, Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmericanFarmlandtrustny or Twitter: @FarmlandNY.

American Farmland Trust will host the Farmland, Food and Livable Communities national conference in Lexington, Kentucky on October 20-22.  Visit www.farmland.org for more information.

For more information on the policies and programs of the American Farmland Trust, visit www.farmland.org, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanFarmland or Twitter www.twitter.com/farmland.

CONTACT:
David Haight, New York State Director, American Farmland Trust
Phone: 202-499-9768
Email: [email protected]
or
Stephan Hengst, Director of Communications, The Culinary Institute of America
Phone: 845-905-4288
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Farmland Trust